I rarely write two posts per day on either of my blogs – this one or my original Blogger version of A Certain Point of View – because I usually don’t have much to say or because I lack the desire or mental energy to do so.
Nevertheless, I feel compelled to write a few lines to update you on my lazy and a bit melancholic Sunday. After all, as someone who studied journalism and likes to be as accurate as possible when writing about my circumstances, I think accuracy in reporting is important.
As it turns out, the Caregiver and her boyfriend did not – as they did yesterday – go out to have fun (even though they are entitled to, all things being equal). The Beau is hospitalized again, undergoing a regular treatment in which part of his system is drained since he has terminal liver disease and is an unlikely prospect for a transplant.
If the Caregiver had bothered to inform me that she and her boyfriend were, in fact, going to the hospital, I wouldn’t have gotten my feathers all ruffled – so to speak. Maybe she assumed that I knew that she was taking her boyfriend to the hospital, but I was still sleepy and had not yet as much had one cup of coffee when they left. If I had been more awake when I saw them leave, perhaps I would have been able to surmise that the Beau was on his way to the hospital. Alas, I was still foggy-minded and, you know, since I’m not always happy about being here, that affected my mood and, of course, my earlier post.
I did, of course, have a better time this afternoon because I got to rewatch the John Williams/Berliner Philharmoniker: The Berlin Concert Blu-ray. I thought about doing that while the Caregiver and her boyfriend were gone, but she returned – alone – sometime after 2 PM and (since the DigiPack with the four The Berlin Concert discs was on the kitchenette table) asked me if I wanted to watch the concert again before it was time for her to watch the “red carpet” telecasts that kick off tonight’s 94th Academy Awards show.
If you recall, I watched the video Blu-ray (there’s an audio-only Blu-ray in the set, too) of The Berlin Concert late Friday/early Saturday, so technically I had already seen it. But because it was so late and the Caregiver and her boyfriend were asleep, I had to watch the concert – which was recorded on October 21, 2021 – with the volume turned down. Not so low that a person with good hearing couldn’t have enjoyed it, but too low for me. I’m hard of hearing, and I especially have difficulty picking up delicate notes played by, say, flutes or pianos unless the volume is much higher than where it was on the volume selector.
So, basically, my first viewing of John Williams/Berliner Philharmoniker was a frustrating experience. I could make out the melodies of selections such as Raiders’ March from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and March from Superman, but only if I listened closely, and mostly when all of the sections of the Berliner Philharmoniker were in play. Quieter sections or woodwind solos? Not so much.
This time around, the Caregiver told me to crank up the sound, not just so I could hear the music, but so she could listen to the concert from the kitchen as she cooked a quick dinner before she devotes all her attention to the Oscars.
I’ll try to do a review of the Blu-ray element of the Deluxe set of Deutsche Grammophon’s The Berlin Concert later this week. Suffice it to say, though, that even at 89 years of age, John Williams does not disappoint. He conducted the Berlin Philharmonic – which celebrates its 140th year in 2022 – with the same musicianship and confident leadership he exhibited when he was the conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993. He also gave spoken introductions to most of the 18 compositions on the program, delivered in his quiet, friendly, and warm voice. If you’re a fan of the Maestro’s film scores and classical pieces, you’re in for a treat if you decide to buy any version of Deutsche Grammophon’s The Berlin Concert – I recommend the Deluxe set since it has the video of the concert, but if you choose to get the audio-only version, you’re still bound to enjoy that one, too.
Well, I’ve prattled long enough, and you’ve already read another post from me today, so I’ll close for now. Hasta la vista, Dear Reader…and I’ll catch you on the sunny side of things.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
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